Jeanne Cooper Dead at 84

Legendary actress Jeanne Cooper died on Wednesday morning following a second stay in the hospital in recent weeks. Her son, Corbin Bernsen, said she passed away "peaceful with my sister by her side, in her sleep." Cooper was 84.

For more than 39 years she played Katherine Chancellor on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Born in Taft, Calif., in 1928, Cooper attended College of the Pacific before graduating from Pasadena Playhouse School.

Her professional career began with the film The Redhead from Wyoming with Maureen O'Hara in 1953, followed by The Man From Alamo with Glenn Ford, There Was a Crooked Man, The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda and George Kennedy, Tony Rome with Frank Sinatra, The All-American Boy with Jon Voight, "The Glory Guys," House of Womenwith Constance Ford, Kansas City Bomber and Let No Man Write My Epitaph with Shelley Winters.

Cooper's career included television guest spots on THE TWILIGHT ZONE, PERRY MASON, L.A. LAW, MAVERICK, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, THE NANNY and BEN CASEY.

Her most notable stage credits include starring roles in "On the Town," "The Miracle Worker," "Plain and Fancy," and the touring production of "Plaza Suite." She also starred in "Love Letters" at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills.

In 1984 Cooper had a facelift and Y&R put it in the storyline showing footage from Cooper's actual surgery as Katherine had her facelift.

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys in 2004. She finally won the Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in 2008, and was nominated nine other times. She was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards during her career, one in 1961 for her work on BEN CASEY, and the other in 1987 for her recurring role on L.A. Law, playing the mother to her real-life son, Corbin Bernsen. Bernsen subsequently joined his mother on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, making several guest appearances as the priest Father Todd. Cooper won the First American in the Arts Award twice as a Lead Actress. In 2009 she was given the coveted AMEE Award from the AFTRA Foundation.

Jeanne Cooper with her children Collin Bernsen, Corbin Bernsen
and Caren Bernsen.

Cooper crossed over to THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL in 2005 as Katherine Chancellor. She also appeared near the end of GUIDING LIGHT in 2009 as a wedding guest.

so so sad ....she will be deeply missed she has been in my living room for so many years ....my sympathies go out to her family and the YR family .....may she rest in peace she is now and angel looking over us all ..... xooxo

In numbers you had a wonderful life~but it still was not long enough. Thank you so very much for all the wonderful memories you gave us all. You are going to be so missed. RIP and God Bless your family.

I am sad to hear of her passing, but happy she is not in pain of any kind any more. To me she was like family, tears flow for you sweet lady, you are the best and will be missed so much. God bless your family.

I seem to have grown old watching and loving her on "The Young and the Restless". My children were just babies and now I am a grandmother many times over. Mrs. Chancellor made me laugh and cry and gave me an hour of enchantment every day. Thank you for these memories. May you rest in peace.

I am so sorry for your loss, I feel like I have lost my mother all over again. She was an amazing actress. She will be missed terribly on The Young and the Restless. It will not be the same without her. R.I.P. Beautiful Lady!!

So sorry to hear that she has passed, I love her on y and r and she will be missed terribly. There will be noone to fill her shoes. God Bless the family and know she was an amazing lady. RIP Kaye (Jeanne), Ms. C....

I feel so sad for your loss of your wonderful Mother. I loved Jeanne Cooper as Katherine Chancellor and she will be sorely missed on the Y&R. I understand how hard it is for you and your brother and sister, but having been a fan for more than 35 years Jeanne feels like a family member.....can't imagine watching the show and never seeing her again. My deepest sympathy to your whole family and I will be mourning her in my own way. Just know that Jeanne will have so many fans, who are like extended family, feeling the loss of a very special lady which we all enjoyed seeing daily in our livingrooms on television. Rest In Peace Jeanne! We all loved you!!

My deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family as well as the Y&R family. This was a beautiful woman with a lot of heart and soul. I will miss seeing her everyday and mourn for her in my own way, very sad day in daytime. I love you Duchess/Mrs C. RIP!!!!!

May God be with you all during your loss of such a wonderful Lady... I'm really going to miss seeing her on Y&R, its really not going to be the same...Prayers for you all as well as the cast she spent so many years with....

i am so sorry for your loss, and as sad for mine. although i watched her on tv for so many years on y&r, i've seen her on perry mason big valley. it's aas though i've lost another member of my family. again so sorry for all who loved and watched her loss.

O.M.G...how I'm gonna really miss cooper..I have followed her in many of her acting roles..she was remarkable...this is a sad day for me, cause I was a fan...but for the most I want to give my sympathy to her family whom I know will miss her the most...jeanine cooper...aka...ms chancelor ur job hear on earth has been done..now u go and b happy with the lord and r.i.p..and ur memories shall continue...I have enjoyed u..god bless u..

My thoughts and prayers are with you, the Cooper/Bernson families. The loss of your dear, sweet, but feisty Mother, "Mrs. C", is deeply felt by not only you, but millions of life-long Y&R fans, me included. May you rest in peaceful sleep until our precious Jesus returns to take us, his children home again. Until then....

OMG!!! I feel like I lost a family member. I thought Mrs. C would live forever. I am so sorry. My prayers are with your family. I know this is a great loss for yall. Not because she was a star but because she was your mother. GOD BLESS

I can't believe that I was just 20 when I started watching Jeanne Cooper on Y&R. Now I am two months away from 60!!! It's just amazing to think that I've been watching her portrayal of "Mrs. C" for that long. Jeanne seemed to be quite a piece of work and for that we her fans are most grateful. May she rest in peace and may her family be comforted by their good memories of her.

We will miss her... Thank You for all the great years she's given us and thank you family for sharing her with us!

when she came back after the 1st of the year I could see her health degrading and I had the same knot in my stomach as I watch her frale going up the stairs it reminded me the knot I had on the last episode of John Ingle (GH - Edward Quartermaine) ... I just knew she was not going to be much longer ... at least she is in peace now...